March 17, 2014

Weekly Menu March 17

For today, March 17 ...Outside my window... Happy Saint Patrick's Day! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the trees have itty-bitty leaf buds, and one of my bulbs is blooming!! AND my back lilac bush has leaf buds too!! This just might be the most exciting Spring of my life, people! There is a distinct lack of daffodils around here though. I need a few daffodil corners. They are essential.I am thankful... After baking 6 dozen muffins Friday and Saturday, I am SO grateful to have two ovens in my house! We would have bought the house anyway, but the fact that there's a fully functioning kitchen upstairs AND downstairs is awfully useful!! We've used the fridge down there from time to time and I use the oven for canning and, like this weekend, when we've got lots of things to bake at the same time! It's pretty awesome. I can't wait to use it for Thanksgiving!!

In the kitchen...Okay, okay, I realize there's a lot of lemon going on with this week's menu, but who cares! It's all light and fresh and springy. With... cream... whatever. It's yummy! And summery! And I'm in a summery mood! This week my goal is to try making homemade old-fashioned cake donuts. I'm a little hooked on them again... and I'm sure homemade has to be better than storebought, right?!I am going... Not much of anywhere this week! Next week is Spring Break, and we don't have any plans yet... But April is going to be FULL of travel! Our last trip to Washington DC (with a possible sprint up to NYC!!) and a trip to Missouri to visit The Geologist's family.

I am reading... Hooray hooray!! Another gigantic epic series!! The second book in Brandon Sanderson's "Stormlight Archive" just came out and I couldn't possibly wait in line at the library, so I got it on Kindle! Considering each of the books in this series are massive, its kinda nice, my wrists don't ache after reading for half an hour. Brandon Sanderson is fast becoming my favorite fantasy author. My two favorite things about his books are the incredibly original, detailed worlds he creates, and the way all of his books are puzzles, with seemingly insignificant details coming together in the end in ways you could never see coming. It's awesome!I am looking forward to... Friiiidaaaaay!! It's going to be a fun Friday, both of the boys have field trips to the museum and Joe won't be home till 1:15! I get 3 more hours to myself! We're planning a lunch date and I just might run errands all by myself... or take a nap... or a walk... Let's be honest, the odds are more in favor of a nap. :)

Before...

Around the house... My manly Geologist finally finished my table!! We bought this side table for 30$ from Craigslist with the plan to strip it and stain the whole thing dark brown. Unfortunately, it had been spray painted to death, so we had to sand the paint off, which lost a lot of the detail on the legs. It still looked great though, so we started staining it with this stain-plus-polyurethane stuff... when it dried, it was hideous. There was no way we could sand the legs anymore, so we had to scrap them and get new ones. Oh, and he had to make a new drawer, because the old one was particle board. But it was all worth it, because now it's GORGEOUS!!! I can't wait for him to build me a new kitchen table. :)

After!

A peek into my day... Not much planned today. Tidying, laundry... Lots of open windows... Joe's just coloring one of his many habitat pictures (they're his current art obsession). When we go pick up Stephen I think we'll stop at a park on the way home.

I am wondering... Such excitingness! We're replacing the bay window and installing French doors in place of the back door! I can't wait!! But I have lots of wonders about the process... We were quoted 8 weeks... how long will it take before the actual install day? How long will it take to install them? What do they cover the holes with overnight? Tis all very interesting to me.

One of my favorite things... Mmm, the smell of fresh sawdust and wood-working. Brings back lots of memories of my Dad building things. Not so much the smell of stain when your ultra-proud husband brings the freshly-stained table inside to show it off... :)

2 comments
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Thanks Hilary!! The yard itself doesn't have a whole lot of... vegetation, but I'm really excited about my rose and lilac bushes, so there will definitely be pictures :) Not to mention my cherry trees out front!!

Welcome!

My mother has always said I could be sitting on a corner with a lollipop and be perfectly happy. My favorite things are the little ones; the seemingly insignificant details of my life as a wife, mother, and silly little girl at heart. The only thing that makes me happier than discovering these delights is sharing them! I love to cook, read, sing, adventure with my 3 little reasons for Mom-ing, snuggle with my beastie of a dog, and laugh with my best friend, my husband The Geologist. I hope you enjoy my adventures in food (and life) as much as I do!